The ACEN is advocating for an upgrade to the power grid in order to support the development of offshore wind energy.
ACEN Corp. stated that developing the high-capacity offshore wind projects would necessitate improvements to the nation’s electricity grid or the connected system of power transmission facilities.
According to Rodrigo M. San Pedro Jr., the senior vice-president for wind development and special projects at ACEN, offshore wind has a significantly larger scale compared to onshore wind. He suggests that we focus on a capacity range of 300-500 megawatts (MW) when discussing offshore wind, as stated in an interview during a wind energy forum last week.
“I believe it would be a significant expense to take on without access to the grid. Currently, I do not believe there are substations capable of handling a capacity between 400-500 MW. Therefore, I suggest that we focus on upgrading the grid,” he stated.
ACEN has currently obtained three contracts for offshore wind energy services from the Department of Energy (DoE), according to the speaker.
According to information from the DoE, the corporation has plans for two offshore wind projects in Calatagan, Batangas and Manila Bay. These projects, operated by its subsidiaries Giga Ace 7, Inc. and Gigawind5, Inc., have a target capacity of 1,024 MW and 1,248 MW, respectively. It is projected that both will be operational by 2029.
The Cagayan West offshore wind project, a future undertaking by ACEN, is projected to generate 1,024 MW through Giga Ace 12, Inc. It is currently in the pre-development phase.
According to Mr. San Pedro, one of the obstacles for renewable energy developers is the development of the grid, in addition to the permit process.
The speaker stated that without access to the grid, there are no projects to discuss. Therefore, the government must address this issue as a top priority.
Mr. San Pedro recognized the government’s attempt to investigate the possibilities of utilizing offshore wind technology.
He stated that the government’s support and commitment have been positively received by ACEN.
He stated that the current talks about a potential offshore wind auction or its price are keeping us on edge at the moment.
He stated that we must continue to progress with our offshore wind projects in preparation for future auctions, whether they occur next year, the year after, or three years from now.
ACEN has a total of approximately 4,200 MW of capacity that can be attributed to it, which is located in the countries of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia.
The goal is to increase the renewable energy portfolio to 20 gigawatts by 2030.
